A little while ago I did my first Tombstone Tuesday, showing the Table Top Tomb of my 6 x great grandfather Cozens Read and went on to describe how I had been informed that his tomb had collapsed and that I was concerned the pieces would be thrown away etc.. I also mentioned that I was looking into obtaining grants for restoration of this tomb, but they take forever to make their decisions.

A couple of days ago I received a photo from my cousins in Australia. Bob and Pam had been on a holiday taking in some family history research at Lower Winchendon, Buckinghamshire and took this photo of the collapsed tomb.

original photograph copyright 2010 - Pam and Bob Herbstreit

and the full view photograph

original photograph copyright 2010 - Pam and Bob Herbstreit

While I was extremely surprised but relieved that this was not the Table Top Tomb of Cozens Read and his wife Elizabeth Shirley, I was still very saddened by the sight of it and immediately knew that it was the tomb for Cozens and Elizabeth’s son William Read. The tomb holds William (1736-1803); his wife Mary Pollard (1742-1821); their daughter Mary (1783-1850) and their daughter Mary’s husband John Moores (1783-1855). (Cozens Read’s Table Top Tomb can be seen through the fencing that is now surrounding the collapsed tomb).

My partner Paul and I had visited this church in 2000 and 2004 and took various photos of the graves there and we realise now that the reason for the collapse of this tomb is obviously through a tree that was growing up from inside it. Some of the following photos taken in 2004 show what was happening then and so Paul cut the branches back and we tidied the Table Top Tomb up as much as we could.

The following photos show the state the tomb was in and the tree roots and branches quite obviously did most of the damage which resulted in its collapse a few years later!

original photograph taken by me in 2004 at Lower Winchendon - copyright 2010

original photograph taken by me at Lower Winchendon in 2004 - copyright 2010

original photograph taken by me at Lower Winchendon in 2004 - copyright 2010

original photograph taken by me at Lower Winchendon in 2004 - copyright 2010

I will continue trying to find out what grants and help is available for trying to restore this tomb, but somehow don’t think we would ever be able to get it back like it once was.

Luckily on our visits in 2000 and 2004 I was able to take a transcript of the details engraved all around William, Mary, Mary and John’s tomb. From the bits that have been laid flat as can be seen in the top photo, I think most of the engraving will have been more or less completely ruined. I’m so glad that I have a record of it.

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Thank you Theresa. As those who follow this blog will realise, I am extremely fond now of my 6 x great grandfather Cozens Read and so was very upset to learn that his tomb had collapsed. Although I now know it wasn’t his tomb, I am still very upset as this is that of his son William’s and some of William’s family and it was nice to see the three tabletop tombs in the plot, and now there is a gap!! I’m really hoping that eventually I can get a grant and have it rebuilt, maybe not exactly as it was but similar. I’ve been doing a lot of research on this so as soon as I get the go ahead (fingers crossed for someone agreeing to a grant somewhere), then I hope to be able to do something about it.

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YOUR ANCESTORS

If you could see your ancestors
All standing in a row
Would you be proud of them
Or don't you really know?
Some strange discoveries are made
In climbing family trees
And some of them, you know
Do not particularly please!

If you could see your ancestors
All standing in a row
There might be some of them, perhaps
You wouldn't care to know
But here's another question, which
Requires a different view ...
If you could meet your ancestors
Would they be proud of you?(Author unknown)